Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed by Israel over the past two days as it intensifies its onslaught in Gaza. [Getty]
Hamas and Israel began a new round of ceasefire negotiations in Doha on Saturday as mediators Qatar and Egypt try to stop a brutal new Israeli offensive against the devastated Gaza Strip which has claimed the lives of hundreds of people in the past three days.
Qatari and Egyptian officials are pushing both sides to agree to a temporary two-month ceasefire, during which negotiations would take place to permanently end the war, release the remaining captives, and remove Israeli forces from Gaza, a Hamas official told The New Arab’s sister site Al Araby Al Jadeed.
Hamas has pledged to release all the remaining captives and cede control of the territory to a technocratic administration in return for an immediate and permanent end to the war.
Until now, it has refused to discuss proposals that involve another temporary ceasefire.
The multi-stage ceasefire framework agreed earlier this year collapsed in March when Israel refused to enter the second-phase negotiations to end the war and resumed its bombardment of the Palestinian territory.
The proposal currently being discussed involves more stringent measures to ensure both sides stick to the agreement, according to the Hamas official.
The US would provide a clear guarantee while Egypt and Qatar would supervise the implementation of the truce, they said.
According to senior Hamas official Basem Naim, the Trump administration committed to pushing Israel to lift its 11-week siege on Gaza and enter ceasefire talks in return for the release of US-Israeli captive Edan Alexander.
Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff promised that Trump would publicly call for an immediate end to the fighting and for negotiations to reach a permanent ceasefire, Naim told Dropsite News earlier this week.
Al Araby Al Jadeed‘s source did not indicate whether the group was likely to agree to the current proposal, saying only that it is continuing to study the details.
Hamas official Taher al-Nono confirmed to Reuters on Saturday that the two sides were discussing all issues without “pre-conditions”.
The Palestinian group was “keen to exert all the effort needed” to bring about an agreement, adding there was “no certain offer on the table”.
The talks come as Israel prepares to unleash a devastating military offensive against the besieged enclave, called “Gideon’s Chariots”.
Israeli forces massed on the border began to enter the territory early on Saturday following several days of intense bombing that has killed hundreds of Palestinians.
The Israeli government threatened to start a new military operation to occupy the entire territory and push the population to the south if Hamas had not agreed to surrender by the time Trump left the region on Friday.
The Netanyahu government has shown no signs that it is willing to compromise on its demands for Hamas’ disarmament and exile from Gaza.
Its uncompromising stance has reportedly frustrated Qatari officials, who say that its negotiating team did not come to Doha to conduct serious discussions.
“So far this is the worst round of negotiations. Nothing has been achieved. The impression given is that the Israelis came to Doha to derail the talks and find justification for renewing the war in Gaza,” one source told Axios journalist Barak Ravid on Friday.
The threat of a new Israeli offensive comes amid growing global outcry at the devastating humanitarian crisis created by Israel’s blockade and its intensifying bombing campaign.
The UN’s humanitarian chief appealed to global powers this week to prevent Israel from committing genocide against the Palestinians, as a new report showed that half a million people are now at imminent risk of starvation.
